Sunday, February 18, 2007Mountain Lion Snack - Deer Bones
So, I have been mentioning for over a year now how I am regularly finding mountain lion tracks on my runs, and a couple weeks back I caught my first glimpse of a local lion. Well, yesterday, I went a step further...I found a victim of the moutain lions, or should I say, I found the leftovers of a meal, a full grown deer. Click here to see the exact location on Google Maps. Amazing.The video above shows me finding the bones as I find them. I was filming a new trail that I was on. I was following deer trails that criss-cross the hills near where I live. I finally got on a ridge and was heading towards the summit of a hill. Then I literally stumbled upon the scene where a deer met its fate. No corporation or government was involved. Nature 101.
After finding the bones, I decided to bring the antlers home. Its life was not in vain. It lived free until it died and its skull serves as a symbol of the wild mountains that surround us here in Los Angeles, wild mountains that invite us to share in the beauty and mystery of nature...if you can muster the courage to venture into them.
This is the ONLY mountain lion sign I have seen in the Verdugo Mountains. It is at the entrance of the Whiting Woods Trail.
Sign Reads: Mountain lions are important members of the natural community and may be found in this area. Although these animals are seldom seen, they are unpredictable and have been known to attack without warning.
Keep children close, as mountain lions seem to be especially drawn to them. Avoid hiking alone. Make plenty of noise while you hike so as to reduce the chances of surprising a lion.
New addition to my new place, look in loft window...see? (added Sept. 30, 2008):
 |
| From Weathertop Farms, Shadow Hills, California |
BFT
Labels: mountain lion, trails, venado, Verdugos, video
posted by Barefoot Ted | Sunday, February 18, 2007
3 Comments:
Those are some healthy antlers. That deer led a full life.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
From the Running Barefoot Yahoo Forum:
Hey Ted,
I just saw the video you took where you stumbled upon the remains of a
deer that a mountain lion had eaten.
Quick question. Doesn't that scare you? Do you have any sort of protection with you in case of the unfortunate event that a mountain lion decides to...well, you know?
Justin
My Answer:
Howdy Justin
Well, it is a good question.
The simple answer is that mountain lions don't have humans at the top of their list of things to eat. As a matter of fact, we are way, way, way down at the bottom.
Since 1890 (over 100 years ago) there have been less than 20 fatalities from mountain lions in the USA (or something like that). They generally avoid humans, and mostly operate in the early morning
or at dusk. They are hardly ever seen, although tracks can be found easily.
It is a privilege to have a healthy population of deer and some mountain lions in the mountains above Los Angeles.
So, yes, I sometimes am a little nervous, but usually I just feel real lucky.
I am scared of cars...and we have a lot of those in Los Angeles. I feel much safer in the mountains.
BFT
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Hi. My dog recently found a leg from a deer on our property, not far from our house. We live on slopped 20 acres next to 'forest' in Springfield, Oregon. Anyway, tons of deer, and mountain lions have been spotted at other neighbor's homes. As you can imagine, I'm obsessing about whether it was a natural death or a kill. I wonder what else could have done this. The bones were clean, but still a little flesh and hair. It's snowy and 30's now. I have to think it just happened because of the fresh flesh on the bones. I read somewhere that cougars will hide a stash of deer parts away from the kill site (an eating den sorta thing they can come back to later). Anyway, it's interesting hearing about someone else finding the same thing.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Post a Comment
<< Home